1. My informer, with a flash like lightning,
Brought news of a caravan that journeyed on,

2. Urged by the winds that drove them to their goal;
Was it their camels' will, or fate's strong pull?

3. The rain clouds watered their abandoned camp
With rain, and with their blood that I had spilled;

4. I shall escape from love, for he escapes
Who is not trapped and snared by love's strong net.

5. I guaranteed that he of the two swords,
Isaac ibn Kundaj, would sheathe his blade,

6. And that the crown would shine at the first light
Of dawn, with its ancient rising glow.

7. Secure in kingship, following a course
Laid down by him, and by tradition too,

8. The turbans of the chiefs, on one well-bred
For war, not show, like swords sans ornament.

9. No braggart in prosperity is he,
Nor heavy-handed when his power grows great,

10. A sea where hopes can float on ships that sail
Safely across, not foundering in its depths.

11. Our fortress that protects us will not leave
Throughout time, and in its shelter hide

12. The refugee; your enviers' faces blackened
In grief, or else dyed black when you prevailed.

13. Not one among them, but is sick at heart
With rage, choked up, despairing utterly,

14. You rank above them in the stars, while they
Cluster below you, regiment on regiment.

15. Had they performed your deeds, they would have gained
More than the hopeful dreamer dreams he'll gain;

16. Without you, people would have fallen into civil strife,
With warring factions and tumultuous waves.

17. You drove out those who opened up its door
With the sword, in deadly, violent attack;

18. And Ali fulfilled his promises to you,
Not failing you by shirking from his pact.

19. Blessed is he whose wisdom can appease
When matters are confused and doubts arise;

20. Your sword is burnished by his shrewd resolve
When darkness overwhelms the dreadful scene.

21. A master ransoms you, a slave ransoms him,
As you command, whenever you say "Act!"